Sulfur in globular form and process of producing the same.



R. P. PERRY. SULFUR IN GLOBULAR FORM AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILEUOCT. H, I917.

Q 1,285,358; Patented Nov. 19,1918.

0090 none V o unoaooceooc oceoooonoo noeouebeoc 00080000006 m eooococooeo eoouoooococv oooeoooooo ATTORNEY zen of the United States, residing at Upper UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

RAY I. PERRY, OF

UPPER MON'IGLAIR, NEW muses, ASSIGN'OB TO THE 3533mm comm, A conro anrron' or NEW JERSEY.

SULFUR IN GLOBULAR FORM AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters 1mm.

Patented Nov. 19, 1918.

Application filed October 11, 1917. Serial No. 196,071.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, RAY P. PERRY, a citi- Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sulfur in Globular Form and Processes of Producing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

invention relates to improvements in the method of treating and recovering sulfur, and to sulfur inthe form of shot-like bodies whereby the sulfur maybe readily handles and packa ed.

Sulfur, as now 0 tained, as, for example, by means of the Frasch process, is sent in a molten stream after it leaves the well to bins where it solidifies in very large solid masses. In this form the sulfur is inconvenient to handle, asfor shipment, requiring that it be broken by means of steam shovels, pickaxes and the like, and when obtained in this way is in the form of very irregular lumps or pieces.- It is often desirable to have the sulfur in a subdivided condition, when it can be more readil handled than when it is in the form 0 large masses as by screw, or bucket conveyers. Subdivided forms of sulfur are already known such as flowers of sulfur made by sublimmg-sulfur. It is also known in the art to grind lumps of sulfur under water and in this way effect asubdivision of the sulfur.

I have invented a new process of treating and recovering sulfur whereby the sulfur may be obtained in a subdivided form, when with any of the processes of recovering sul-' fur, such as the Frasch process, which at some stage of the recovery process provides the sulfur in a molten condition, permits me to obtain the sulfur in the desired state of subdivision with very little expense. Specifically, the sulfur treated by my process is in the form of solid, substantially shot-like bodies or fiobules, referabl of small, predetermine and su stantia y regular size. While the globular bodies of solid sulfur are preferably small they are of .easily measurable size and form a different substance from either the flowers of sulfur or the sulfur ground to a powder under water. The

latter material is made up ofexceedingly ling the fineness of the spra small particles having angular configurations due to their formation by fracture or grinding. The flowers of sulfur furthermore are in the form of an exceedingly fine powder. The sulfur of my invention is in the form of shot or globules which are an easily measurable fraction of an inch in diameter, preferably about 1/30 to 1 50 of an inch in diameter. The sulfur shot or globules of my invention are free from sharp angular parts such as would be produced by fracture or grinding.-

In practising my process I do not resort to sublimation or to grinding. Nor do I permit the sulfur, which at one stage of the process of recovering thesame is in a molten condition, as already stated, to become solidified in the large masses alread referred to, which masses are, as stated, difiicult to handle for shipment. In working my procof a spray into the cooling medium is cooled and solidified in the form 'of small bodies of shot-like or globular form. By controland the speed le to .vary the and temperature it is possi size of the shot or globules of solid' sulfur thus produced, it being noted that for a given size of spray and a given speed and temperature, a large portion of the articles formed will be substantially of t e same size.

Sulfur in the form just described is readily handled and packaged and can be loaded for shipmentby the belt, bucket or screw conveyers. My process ,is articularly of advantage where it is desirab e to ultimately obtain the sulfur in the form of subdivided particles, since by my process I avoid the tedious and laborious steps of sending the sulfur in the form of a molten stream into bins where it" cools and solidifies in large masses, which masses are diflicult to break up for shipment and ultimate subdivision by the .diflicult wet-grinding process above referred to. v

While my process may be used in connec- Q tion with any process of recovering or workwith the Frasch process, in connection with which my process finds particularly successful apphcation- Referring to the drawing wherein I have diagrammatically illustrated partly in secmolten sul tion and partly in elevation a form of apparatus for carrying out the rocess of my invention in the production 0 the article of my invention,

A indicates the usual well for the recovery of sulfur b the Frasch rocess. Within the well A is t e iron pipe Within the pipe B are the concentrically arranged iron or other pipes C, D, E and F. .Through the pipes C and D is sent in a downward direc-' tion superheated water. from the inlets 0 and d, respectively, communicating with the source of supply 6. With the pipe F communicates the source of supply f of compressed air. Under the action of the superheated water the sulphur at the bottom of the Well is rendered molten and is sent by the compressed air from the pipe F in an upward direction throughthe pipe E and out through the outlet pipe e.

Instead of being sent into large bins where it is cooled and solidified in large masses, in my process the molten sulfur leaving the well through the pipe 0 is sent immediatel into a spraying or analogous device. W ile various types of spraying or analogous devices may be used, I prefer to use a centrifugal device of the sort illustrated in the drawing. The molten sulfur coming through the outlet pipe e is delivered through the outlet H into the cylindrical or other container l. having one or more rows of apertures 2 substantially horizontally disposed. The container 1 is driven or rotatedat anydesired rate of speed by being mounted-on the shaft 3 which is supported in the bearing 4. Fixed'ly mounted ,on the shaft 3, a small distance above the bearing 4, isa bevel gear 5 which meshes with a corresponding bevel gear 6, which is fixed on the shaft Z of an electric or other motor 8. By setting the motor 8 in operation is obvious that the container 1 'will be rotated through the mediation of the bevel gears 5 and 6.

In operation the molten sulfur is fed through'the outlet it into the container 1.

Thecontainer l is rapidly rotated at any desired rate of speed by the meshing bevel gears 5' and 6 which are set in motion by the motor 8. Due to the centrifugal force of the rapidly rotating container '1 the ur is forced or extruded through the apertures2, which are of predetermined size, in the form of streams of molten sulfur, which streams, when they are injected into the air, break up into drops which solidify in the form of shot-like or globular bodies. The bodies thus formed fall in a solidified condition upon the floor or other support 25 where they are gathered together for any desired purpose.

WVhat I claim is: 1. The process of treating fur, and thereafter, and efore the sulfur sulfur, comprising the steps of providing. from its source in the ground a supply of molten sulhas become solidified, injecting the molten spray into a cooling medium, whereby the sulfur is cooled and solidified 1n the form of small globular bodies.

3. The process of recovering sulfur comprising the steps of fusing the sulfur in subterranean sulfur deposits by the action of superheated water, and thereafter, and before the fused sulfur'has become solidified,

injecting the fused sulfur in the form of a spray into a cooling medium, whereby the sulfur is cooled and solidified in the form of small globular bodies.

4. The process of obtaining sulfur in conveni'ent form for handlin and use which consists in melting the sul r to recover the same from its p ace of origin, passing it before cooling through a revolving centrifugal machine and thereafter coolin it whereby it assumes the solid form 0 separate, small round particles.

5. n the process of producing sulfur in.

convenient form for handling and use, the step which consists of passing the molten sulfur through a. perforated revolving centrifugal basket on its way between the place of on in and the place of storage.

6. he herein described product, comprision ing solid sulfur in the form of. comparatively small shot-like bodies.

7. The herein described product, consist- 'ing of solid sulfur in the form of small globular bodies of appreciable size devoid .of sharp, angular-parts such as would be produced by fracture.

8. The herein described product comprising solid sulfur in the form of small globular bodies.

in testimony whereof I afi x my signature.

RAYQP- PERRY,

are 

